Harmony Valley Farm: Collard Greens

Hello!

I hope your July is off to a great start. Things are really growing and we’re finding plenty to occupy our days! If you’ve been wondering where the garlic has been the past few weeks, rest assured it will be back in the box next week! We’re starting garlic harvest this week, so you’ll have a taste of fresh garlic very soon! We had hoped to dig potatoes this week, but they were just a little too small. The shop crew is getting the digger ready though as we do plan to harvest them this Saturday! Oh, I almost forgot to mention I picked a handful of SunOrange tomatoes last Sunday! That’s about all that were ready, but hopefully by the end of this week or early next week we’ll be seeing more color in that row!

So now that you have a glimpse into next week, lets draw our attention back to this week and all the tasty things in the box! When you open your box this week, you’re going to see collard greens covering the top layer. Check out this week’s article about Collard Greens (see below) to learn more about what to do with them. I also curated a list of recipes for you to consider trying, so be sure to check that out in the article below. In the meantime, I do have a feature recipe to share with you that is pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself! This recipe for Pasta with Bacony Collard Greens & Cannellini Beans (See Below) is a one-pot wonder that I found at Food52.com. This is one of those recipes to tuck away in the “Greens Recipes” file as it is easily adaptable to a wide variety of “greens” you’ll receive in your box over the season. I made it with one bunch of collard greens and the carrot tops from one bunch of carrots. The other cool thing about this recipe is you can watch a cooking video about how to make it over at Food52! Before I go on, I do want to mention that Food52 has an awesome collection of cooking videos on their website. I have watched some of their videos before, but never realized there was a whole page of archived videos covering a wide range of recipes and cooking techniques. I’d encourage you to go check it out, especially if you are relatively new to the cooking scene and are still building your skill set!

I am excited to share Thai Basil with you in this week’s box. I’ve been dreaming about making a pitcher of Thai Basil Lemonade. If you do not know what to do with Thai Basil and don’t have time to find a recipe, just make this lemonade, kick back and enjoy it. It is seriously so delicious. Throughout the list of recipe links this week I included a few other recipe ideas for dishes where Thai basil will shine. I hope you will find something fun to make with this tasty & unique basil!

We are having a run on salad cabbage this year and I’ve been loving having it in my refrigerator to turn into quick slaws and salads. The beauty of salad cabbage over lettuce is that you can put the salad totally together, dressing and all, without it getting all soggy. This is great for quick lunches and dinners. If you didn’t try last week’s recipe for Chicken, Cabbage & Snow Pea Grain Bowl with Coconut-Peanut Sauce, check it out and give it a try before the peas are done for the year! I also like this Vietnamese Chicken & Cabbage Salad that is fresh and light, the perfect summer meal!

Ok, I got a little weird with the cauliflower recipes this week. I couldn’t help myself, these recipes were so intriguing! If anyone tries Cauliflower Banana Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Icing or the Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks, please post in our Facebook Group and let us know how they are!

Speaking of the Facebook Group, you guys have been posting some really great meals and culinary creations! I love seeing what you’re making and selected a few of the recommended recipes for this week’s list. This is exactly what this group is for, to create community and share great ideas!

Ok, it’s time for me to sign off for this week. Get a stick of butter and some good salt ready for the New Potatoes coming next week! Eat well, be well, and don’t forget to have some fun with cooking!

-Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Collards

by Andrea Yoder

Collard greens are a rather humble, quiet vegetable that I would liken more to a staple of the working class than something eye-catching that shows up on a fancy restaurant menu such as squash blossoms or brightly colored heirloom tomatoes. Nonetheless, I have come to appreciate collard greens more over the past few years and am realizing there are some pretty tasty ways to enjoy collard greens! So, I am challenging myself this year to incorporate them into our meals in more ways. Hopefully you will come to appreciate them as well and will try some of the recipe suggestions I have included later in this article!

For starters, collard greens are part of the brassica’s family. The paddle-shaped leaves bear a resemblance to cabbage leaves, but in general they tend to be more flat and open, and the plants do not make a head. The leaves are thick and more durable and hearty than other greens, such as rainbow chard. However, they may be softened to a silky texture with heat, liquid, and time or by marinating or massaging them when they are raw with oil or vinaigrette. While many assume collards are strong in flavor, they are very mild flavored. Collard greens are available from late June through October or early November. The flavor of collards, as well as other vegetables in this family, changes and becomes sweeter once they’ve been through a few cold nights. Take note of the flavor now so you can compare it to the collard greens you may eat later in the fall. Collard greens are packed with nutrients including Vitamins A, C, E, K and B6 as well as riboflavin, calcium, iron, manganese, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, and potassium. With a powerhouse nutrient profile like this, we must find more ways to incorporate them into our diets!

In this country, many associate collard greens with southern cooking where this green is considered more of a regional staple ingredient. In southern cuisine, collards are often cooked with some sort of pork cut such as salt pork or a ham hock. The meat is the flavoring agent used to cook the greens, which are cooked for quite a while until they become dark olive green and very soft. The remaining liquid is called pot likker and is seldom discarded. Rather it is soaked up with a biscuit or cornbread, used to cook beans, or some may even drink it. Collard greens are thought to have originated in Asia, a descendant of a wild cabbage. This vegetable then spread to other parts of the world and likely made it to America by way of ship and European settlers. Collard greens are now eaten in many other parts of the world including India, Brazil and throughout Europe.

As mentioned earlier, collard greens have a thicker leaf which requires a longer cooking time to become soft and tender. While collards do require a little more cooking, you don’t have to cook them until they are super soft to enjoy them. You can also stir-fry or lightly sauté them just until bright green. They’ll have more texture to them and not be quite as soft but are still quite delicious. Because of the broad leaf, collards may also be steamed or blanched and then the leaf can be used as a wrap to hold a filling. This has become a popular use for collard leaves in the paleo community as an alternative to tortillas.

Collard greens obviously pair well with all salty, fatty pork products. They also go well with garlic, ginger, chiles, sesame, coconut and spices including coriander, cardamom, turmeric, and black pepper. Of course, they also pair well with black-eyed peas, white beans, black beans, tomatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and roasted peanuts. Use them raw in salads, cook them into flavorful bean soups, use them to make wraps or burritos, or cook them in more of a traditional southern way.

I perused the internet looking for some tasty, creative recipes using collard greens and found a few I think are worth mentioning. Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration within this list or try this week’s featured recipe! Enjoy!

The Collard Green Melt

Collard Greens Salad with Ginger & Spicy Seed Brittle

Saag-Paneer Inspired Collard Greens and Tofu

How To Make Raw Collard Wraps….and Suggestions for Fillings!

Raw Collard Greens Salad with Sundried Tomatoes

Make-Ahead Italian Collard Green Wraps

Collard Green & Rice Fritters with Green Pesto

Tomato Peanut Stew with Collards

Sweet & Smoky Beans & Greens

Hoppin’ John Risotto

Collard Wrapped Yellow Rice & Black Bean Enchiladas

Pasta with Bacony Collards & Cannellini Beans

Yield: 4 servings

5 ounces (1 ½ cups) short dry pasta (orecchiette, penne or macaroni)

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water, divided

4 slices (6 oz) thick-cut bacon, cut into ½ -inch pieces

3 cloves garlic

1 bunch collard greens (See Note Below)

Carrot Tops from 1 bunch of carrots (See Note Below)

1 can (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

¼ to ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 oz Parmesan or pecorino cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus more to serve

1 Tbsp butter

Put the pasta in a small bowl and cover with 1 ½ cups of chicken stock or water, stirring occasionally to make sure the pasta isn’t clumping together. Set aside to soak for at least 15 minutes.
Add the bacon to a medium Dutch oven along with 2 Tbsp of water. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat melts out o the bacon and the bacon becomes brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, smash, peel, and finely chop the garlic. Strip the collard leaves from the stems. Stack the leaves and cut lengthwise into four long sections. Stack the pieces and cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick strips. Strip the lacey greens from the coarse stems on the carrot tops. Finely chop the lacey greens and discard the stems. With the carrot tops and collards combined, you should have a total of about 6 cups of greens.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop the bacon from the Dutch oven and transfer to a plate, leaving the fat behind. Add the garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add the collards and carrot tops, the remaining 2 ½ cups of chicken stock or water, and a big pinch of salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain an active simmer. Add the beans and cook, partially covered, until the liquid has reduced to about 1 cup and the greens are tender and silky, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. Taste the greens and add more salt and black pepper if needed. (You want it to be very well seasoned at this point, so the liquid and greens can season the pasta.)
Add the pasta along with the soaking liquid and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, add the cheese, butter, and reserved bacon, and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking with additional salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes.
Divide the greens & beans creation among 4 bowls and garnish with more cheese if desired.

This recipe was sourced from Food52.com and was developed by Sohla El-Waylly. Sohla actually made a video of this recipe which you may view online!

Note from Chef Andrea: The beauty of this recipe is that it is very adaptable to other greens aside from or in combination with collard greens. The author of this recipe says “Use any hearty green here, like kale, escarole or carrot tops.” As long as the greens have a similar texture, they’ll cook similarly. You could also use more tender cooking greens in this recipe such as chard, spinach, nettles, radish tops, fennel tops, beet greens. These greens benefit from cooking to make them soft and silky, but they don’t need quite as long as hearty greens like collards. The author does not recommend mixing hearty greens with more tender greens as the tender greens will be overcooked by the time the hearty greens are ready. If you do want to mix greens, just give the hearty ones a head start and add the more tender ones a little later.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

September 27, 2018 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Collard Greens

Cooking With This Week's Box:

Baby Chioggia & Red Beets: Beet, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad; Carrot, Beet & Coconut Salad with Sesame

Orange Carrots: Collard, Carrot & Raisin Salad (see below); Carrot & Coconut Gazpacho with Lemongrass; Carrot, Beet & Coconut Salad with Sesame

Sweet Yellow Onions: Meatless Baked Ziti with Red Kuri Squash; Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas

Garlic: Carrot & Coconut Gazpacho with Lemongrass; Meatless Baked Ziti with Red Kuri Squash; Sweet & Spicy Gochujang Chicken

Grape Tomatoes or a Variety of Tomatoes: Breakfast Burritos

Red, Yellow and/or Green Bell Peppers: Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas; Breakfast Burritos

Broccoli: Spicy Garlic Broccoli with Pine Nuts

White or Yellow Cauliflower: Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas

Broccoli Romanesco: Roasted Broccoli Romanesco

Kabocha Squash: Meatless Baked Ziti with Red Kuri Squash

Collard Greens: Collard, Carrot & Raisin Salad (see below)

Masquerade Potatoes: Breakfast Burritos

If you read this week’s newsletter article, you’ll know that our sweet potatoes are all harvested and are currently being “cured.” This is a process we use to develop their starches into sugar and set the skins so they store longer. We’re excited to start eating them, but not yet! So, get your sweet potato recipes ready, they’ll be coming soon. While we impatiently wait for sweet potatoes, we have plenty more delicious vegetables to enjoy. This week our featured vegetable is collard greens, an interesting green that is kind of like kale and kind of like cabbage. This week I’ve featured southern Chef Vivian Howard’s recipe for Collard, Carrot & Raisin Salad (see below). This is a way to use the collards in their raw form to make a light, bright, flavorful salad that would go well with grilled beef or pan-fried fish.

Carrot & Coconut Gazpacho with Lemongrass
photo from Love & Lemons

I’m on a carrot-soup kick now, so I’m going to suggest another carrot soup for this week. This one was recently featured at Loveandlemons.com and it’s for Carrot & Coconut Gazpacho with Lemongrass. You can eat it chilled or warm it slightly. Pair this along with this Beet, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad, from the same author. Another beet salad suggestion that would go well with this soup is this one for Carrot, Beet & Coconut Salad with Sesame. Either one will pair well with the soup and make for a light, nourishing lunch or dinner.

This recipe for Meatless Baked Ziti with Red Kuri Squash popped into my inbox shortly after last week’s feature about kabocha squash. Red Kuri squash is very similar to orange kabocha squash and can be used interchangeably. This is a pasta dish I’m sure every member of the family will enjoy with a lot of fresh flavors from tomatoes, squash, mushrooms, and of course cheese. Serve this with some Roasted Broccoli Romanesco and dinner is set!

I had forgotten about this recipe for Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas until I stumbled over it last week while looking for a different recipe. This recipe calls for poblano peppers. If you have some from a previous delivery, great—use them! If not, consider using this week’s sweet peppers instead. If you still want a little heat, you could add a few pinches of cayenne or chile powder to the cauliflower.

Sweet & Spicy Gouchjang Chicken
photo from Family Style Food

I’ve never used recipes from Dr. Andrew Weil’s website, but I came across it this week and there are some good, simple vegetable centric recipes there. This week I want to try this recipe for Spicy Garlic Broccoli with Pine Nuts. I think I’ll serve this with his recipe for Sweet & Spicy Gouchjang Chicken using some of the HVF Korean Chili-Garlic Sauce I made a couple weeks ago when we had the fresh Korean chili peppers!

If you’ve been reading these weekly articles throughout the year, you’ll know Richard and I are big fans of Breakfast Burritos. We eat them for breakfast frequently, but have also been know to have them for lunch and dinner too! I was thrilled when I saw this blog post all about Breakfast Burritos on Smitten Kitchen. So this week I’m going to encourage you to use your potatoes and bell peppers to create your own breakfast burritos to enjoy at whichever meal of the day fits your fancy. In her recipe she calls for spinach, but you could also easily substitute collard greens or any other green you have. And finally….chopped fresh tomatoes to finish them off.

There you have it friends….yet again we’ve managed to cook our way to the bottom of another CSA box. Have a super-awesome week and I’ll see you back next week for more delicious recipe talk!—Chef Andrea Yoder

Featured Vegetable: Collard Greens

I grew up in Indiana, a region where collard greens are not a staple part of local diets. We had one neighbor who grew up in the south and grew collards in his garden. His name was Brooks and he stayed true to his southern roots and ate his fair share of collard greens along with mustard and turnip greens, which were also not amongst the regular vegetables in our regional fare. Despite his influence, it wasn’t enough to convince my mother to try them and they remained a foreign vegetable to me until I came to Harmony Valley Farm. Collard greens are available from late June through October or early November, but we usually reserve them for eating in the fall. Collards are in the Brassica family and get sweeter as the temperatures cool off. They feature large, round, flat leaves that resemble a flat cabbage leaf. While they are related to cabbage and have a flavor similar to cabbage, they never form a head. Collard greens, as with many other leafy green vegetables, are packed with nutrients including Vitamins A, C, E, K and B6 as well as riboflavin, calcium, iron, manganese, thiamin, niacin, magnesium and potassium. With a nutrient profile like this, we have to find a way to incorporate them into our diets!

In this country, many associate collard greens with southern cooking where this green is considered more of a regional staple ingredient. In fact, South Carolina voted to make it the official state vegetable in 2011! Collard greens are thought to have originated in Asia, a descendant of a wild cabbage. This vegetable then spread to other parts of the world and likely made it to America by way of ship and European settlers. Collard greens are now eaten in many other parts of the world including India, Brazil and throughout Europe.

Collard greens have a thicker leaf than some other greens we grow such as spinach or chard. They usually require a longer cooking time to soften and tenderize the leaf. In southern cuisine, collards are often cooked with some sort of pork cut such as salt pork or a ham hock. The meat is the flavoring agent used to cook the greens, which are cooked for quite awhile until they become dark green and very soft. The remaining liquid is called pot likker and is seldom discarded. Rather it is soaked up with a biscuit or cornbread or some may even drink it. While collards do require a little more cooking, you don’t have to cook them until they are super soft to enjoy them. You can also stir-fry or lightly saute them just until bright green. They’ll have more texture to them and not be quite as soft, but are still quite delicious. Because of the broad leaf, collards may also be steamed and then the leaf can be used as a wrap to hold a filling. You can also use them as you would use a grape leaf to make Middle Eastern dolmades (stuffed grape leaves).

Collard greens obviously pair well with all salty, fatty pork products. They also go well with garlic, ginger, chiles, coconut and spices including coriander, cardamom and turmeric, lending to some of their uses in Asian and Indian cuisine. Of course, they also pair well with black-eyed peas, white beans, corn, potatoes, and roasted peanuts. Slice them thinly and use them to make a creamy cole slaw to accompany BBQ pork sandwiches. Use them raw in salads, cook them into flavorful bean soups, use them to make collard kraut, or cook them in more of a traditional southern way.

Store collards in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them.

Collard, Carrot, and Raisin Salad

Yield: 4 servings

3 cups collard leaves, stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch dice (1 bunch)
1 cup shredded carrots

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp shallot, sliced into ⅛-inch rounds

¼ tsp chili flakes

¼ cup raisins

½ cup crushed pineapple

¼ cup orange juice

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

¾ tsp salt

⅓ cup salt-roasted peanuts

In a medium bowl, combine the collards and the carrots. Set aside.
In an 8 to 10 inch saucepan or skillet, heat the olive oil, shallots, and chili flakes over medium heat until they really start to sizzle. Just before they begin to brown, add the raisins, pineapple, orange juice, vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, and salt. Bring that thick mixture up to a boil and pour it over the collards.
Toss together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Just before serving, stir in the peanuts.

This recipe was borrowed from Vivian Howard’s book, Deep Run Roots. Vivian is the co-creator and star of the award-winning PBS series A Chef’s Life, which tells stories about the people, food, and culture of the Carolina Coastal plain where she grew up.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Vegetable Feature: Collard Greens

By Chef Andrea

Believe it or not, I don’t think I ever ate collard greens until I came to HVF! I remember seeing them in the grocery store back in Indiana, but our “greens” safety zone consisted of iceberg lettuce and spinach. We never ate cooked greens. Now I fear the long winter when we don’t have greens available and look forward to the return of greens in the spring.
This week’s selection is collards, one of the heartiest greens we grow. Collards are characterized by large, paddle-shaped leaves that are blue-gray in color and slightly wavy around the edges. The leaves are thick and have a mild flavor similar to cabbage. While we grow and harvest collards for much of the summer and into the fall, we typically save this green for your boxes until later in the season. We do this partly because it is more frost tolerant and we can keep it in the field longer than most greens, but also because it is sweeter and has a better flavor after it has been through a few cold nights!

Collards are eaten throughout different parts of the world including Africa, India, Egypt, Spain and Pakistan. The seasonings and cooking methods may vary slightly, but in general collard greens go well with garlic, ginger, chiles, coconut, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, mustard seeds, potatoes, smoked meats, black-eyed peas, peanuts, corn and potatoes…to name a few. In this country we usually think of collards as a “Southern” food. In the southern states collard greens are often prepared by cooking collard greens along with some kind of a smoked pork product such as hocks, bacon, etc and liquid for quite awhile until the greens are soft and tender. While a longer cooking time and some liquid do help to soften collard greens and make them tender, you don’t have to cook them in this way. You can also slice them very thinly and saute them just until they are wilted. When cooked this way they will retain their green color better and will be tender, but not quite as soft. Collard leaves also make a great wrapper to use in place of a tortilla. If you want to use it to make a wrap, you should either blanch it or lightly steam it before using in order to soften the leaf slightly and make it more pliable.
Before using collard greens, wash them in a sink of water and then remove the thick, white center stem and rib. Either cut into bite-sized pieces or stack the leaves on top of each other, roll them and then thinly slice the roll. Collard greens may be added to stir-fry, pasta dishes or even use them as the base for a creamy cole slaw in lieu of cabbage. They are also delicious when added to ham and bean soup or incorporated into a fall curry dish.
As our growing season is coming to a close, we hope you enjoy some of these last green indulgences and try a new recipe or two!

Spaghetti with Collard Greens and Lemon

Yield: Serves 4

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced (or more if you
like garlic!)

¼ tsp red-pepper flakes

1 bunch collard greens (12 ounces),
ribs removed, thinly sliced

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Grated zest of 1 fresh lemon, plus more
for serving

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Coarse salt, to taste

12 oz dried spaghetti

¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano,
for serving

Photo Borrowed from
MarthaStewart.com

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook until tender, about 1 minute. Add collard greens and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pine nuts and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt.

2. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain pasta.

3. Add pasta and reserved water to skillet, tossing to coat. Serve immediately, garnished with additional lemon zest and sprinkled with cheese.

Recipe sourced from marthastewart.com.

Collard Greens with Lime & Peanuts

Yield: Serves 4

Photo Borrowed from Emily Nichols post on Food52.com

1 bunch collard greens, stems
removed, leaves cut into thin strips

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil

¾ cup chicken stock

⅓ cup peanuts, toasted and roughly
chopped

Juice of one lime

Salt, to taste

1. Remove stems, chop and rinse the collard greens; don’t worry about drying them, the water clinging to the leaves after rinsing will help them cook down.

2. Toast and chop peanuts, set aside.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.

4. Add greens and use tongs to toss until well coated, season with a bit of salt.

5. Add stock and reduce heat to simmer.

6. Cook on low, uncovered, allowing liquid to reduce slowly until the stock has nearly all evaporated. This may take about 20-40 minutes (do not rush this part).

7. Once liquid has reduced, taste the greens to check texture (this part is all about preference; if you like them softer, add more liquid and continue to cook).

8. When greens are finished cooking, remove from heat and stir in peanuts, lime juice and remaining 1 tsp coconut oil.

HVF Note: When we tested this recipe, we served the collard greens over cooked rice. This recipe serves 4 if eaten as a side dish or 2 if eaten as the main dish.

Recipe adapted by one posted by Emily Nichols on Food52.com.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Featured Vegetable: Collard Greens

By Sarah Janes Ugoretz

Collard greens in July

Collard greens are descendants of wild cabbage, and their existence has been traced back to prehistoric times. For this reason, researchers joke that collards count themselves among the dinosaurs of vegetables. Likely originating in Asia Minor, written and pictorial accounts have ancient Greek and Roman civilizations cultivating collards, and by 600 B.C., Celtic wanderers had begun spreading them far and wide throughout Europe. Towards the end of the 17th century, collards arrived in the U.S. but contrary to popular belief, they were not introduced by enslaved Africans.

Today, collard greens are integral in traditional southern American cuisine, though they are becoming more popular in other parts of the U.S.. Part of this rise in popularity is likely due to the fact that collards are nutritional powerhouses. Not only are they high in vitamins K, A and C, they’re also a good source of calcium, iron and fiber. Studies show steamed collards coming out ahead of steamed kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale when it comes to each vegetable’s ability to bind bile acids in the human digestive tract. What this means is that collards contribute rather significantly to the lowering of cholesterol levels. The cancer-preventive properties of collards are also high. Four specific glucosinolates help to lower cancer risk by supporting both detox and anti-inflammatory systems.

Collards, like kale, grow well into late fall in colder climates like ours. The collards in your box this week were actually cut from the top of the plant, thus the leaves are a bit smaller and more tender than fully matured leaves. Steaming collards for five minutes is the fastest way to get them onto your plate and into your stomach, but you can also try your hand at the more traditional way of preparing them. If you’re going for the latter, boil a ham hock and 3 cloves of garlic in 10-12 cups of water for two hours (with the pot partially covered). In the meantime, de-stem and cut collards into thick ribbons. Once two hours have passed, remove the ham hock and add the collards, cooking at a simmer for another 45 minutes to 2 hours (again with the pot partially covered). Sauté an onion in bacon fat or canola or veggie oil, and add the shredded ham hock meat. Add the cooked collards to this mix, top with salt and pepper, and you’re all set! Word to the wise—the cooking liquid in which you simmered your collards is full of nutrition and loaded with flavor, so consider using it in a stock. In advance of preparing your collards, store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, removing as much air as possible.

Wilted “Baby” Collards with Ginger & Shoyu

Recipe borrowed from Chef Andrea Reusing’s book, Cooking in the Moment.

Serves 2
¾-1 pound collard greens, (smaller leaves less than 9 inches long are ideal), cut into ½-inch wide strips
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp shoyu soy sauce, or less if substituting regular soy sauce
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 scant Tbsp very thinly julienned fresh ginger
1 dried red chile, such as de Arbol, crumbled into small pieces
Kosher salt
⅓ cup chicken stock

Blanch the collards for 30 seconds in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain, and then quickly transfer them to an ice bath. As soon as they are cold, drain again and gently squeeze them with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Transfer the collards to a medium bowl and toss with your fingers to separate, adding the shoyu and sesame oil and thoroughly distributing them.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and chiles. Saute for a minute, until the ginger is wilted and fragrant but has not colored. Raise the heat to medium and add the collards. Season with salt and toss to coat and incorporate the ginger and chiles. Add the chicken stock and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, until the greens are very hot. Season with additional salt if necessary.

Collards & Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Recipe borrowed from Lorna Sass’ Complete Vegetarian Kitchen.

Serves 6

6 cups water or vegetable stock

1 Tbsp oil

2 cups black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed

1 small bunch collard greens

2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery or ½ medium celeriac, finely chopped

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

½ tsp dried thyme

Pinch cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes

Hot Sauce, optional

Salt, to taste

Bring the water, oil, and peas to a boil in a medium stock pot. Meanwhile, wash the collards. Cut the thick stem from the middle of the leaf. Chop the remaining leaves and tender stems into 1-inch strips. Add the collards, onions, celery or celeriac, garlic, thyme, and cayenne to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the peas are tender, about 45 to 55 minutes.
Stir in salt to taste. Serve piping hot with hot sauce if desired.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Featured Vegetable this Week: COLLARD GREENS

by Andrea Yoder

We seldom highlight collard greens and they are often overshadowed by the recent increase in popularity of kales, which are very similar in nature. Collards are in the family of brassicas and thus are related to vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli & turnips. They are characterized by thick, sturdy, flat, rounded leaves and boast a host of nutritional attributes including being low in calories, high in fiber, and they are good sources of beta carotene, vitamin C, calcium, B vitamins and antioxidants. They have long been an important staple ingredient in southern cooking in the United States. The plant is thought to have been brought to the US during the era of slave trade either directly from Africa or possibly from Haiti. Collards are eaten in countries throughout the Mediterranean, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Farmer Richard looks over the field of collard greens

The traditional southern way to prepare collard greens is to boil or cook the greens for 30 minutes or more in a broth with some sort of a pork product such as a ham bone, ham hock or bacon. While collard greens do need a bit more cooking than spinach to become tender, it is a common misunderstanding that this is the only way to cook collards. Because they are a thicker green, collards do stand up to moist-heat cooking methods such as braising. They are a great addition to soups, stews, bean, lentil and grain dishes where they can be cooked with the other ingredients without becoming overcooked. While cooking collards with liquid will likely yield the softest texture, they can also be stir-fried or lightly sautéed, methods that highlight their flavors and bright green color. You can also use collards in raw salads or slaws, just make sure you allow a few hours for the greens to rest in the dressing or vinaigrette to soften the leaves. Some southern cooks will make a creamy cole slaw using thinly sliced collard greens and serve it on top of a barbecued pork sandwich.

The large flat leaves also make a great wrapper and can be used in place of a tortilla, spring roll wrapper or the like. You can fill them with a whole host of ingredients such as finely chopped greens or other veggies, cooked grains, beans, meat, hummus, etc. Add a sauce to the wrap or dip it in a flavorful dipping sauce and you have a meal! You can use the leaves raw, or blanch them briefly in boiling water, cool and then pat dry. This will help soften the leaf and make them more tender.

The leaves are large and flat which make them perfect for wrappers!

Collards can stand up to other more bold flavors and ingredients including hot peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, curry & other pungent sauces, pork, soy sauce, and cream. Store collard greens loosely wrapped in plastic in the crisper drawer until you are ready to use them. Wash them in a sink of clean water and shake off excess water. Remove the thick center stem and then prepare the leaf by leaving whole, cutting into bite-sized pieces, or stack the leaves and roll them so you can slice them thinly.

Simple Garlicky Greens

“If there could be only one recipe in the world for leafy greens,

I’d vote for this one.”

—Nava Atlas, Author of Wild About Greens

This is a basic recipe for cooking greens that can be used for a variety of greens including kale, spinach, mustard greens and a variety of Asian greens (eg bok choi, yukina savoy, etc). This can easily be a “go-to” recipe that serves as a base for a whole host of variations. In addition to the suggestions below, you can simply mix Garlicky Greens with beans or grains to round out a meal.

4 to 6 servings
1 bunch collard greens
1 to 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ to 1 lemon, or apple cider vinegar, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Cut leaves away from stems. Stack a few leaves on top of each other and roll snugly from one of the narrow ends, then slice thinly. Chop in a few places to shorten the ribbons.

Heat the oil in a large steep-sided skillet or stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden.

Add the greens and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until just tender, approximately 5 to 8 minutes. Add small amounts of water, wine or vegetable broth during this time, if needed—just enough to keep the bottom of the pan moist.

Add the lemon juice or vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Variations:

Sweet Additions: Once the greens are cooked, stir in ¼ to ½ cup raisins, dried cranberries or currants.

Nutty Additions: Sprinkle ¼ to ½ cup toasted nuts over the top of the greens in the pan prior to serving.

Savory Additions: Once the greens are cooked, stir in any of the following: ½ cup sliced brine-cured olives, ½ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, or 2 to 3 Tbsp capers.

Spicy Additions: Stir any of the following into cooked greens, to your taste: dried hot pepper flakes, fresh seeded and minced hot chili pepper, chili oil or hot sauce.

Spicy Peanut or Cashew Sauce

Recipe borrowed from Nava Atlas’s book, Wild About Greens

This rich, spicy sauce is great on just about any variety of greens. It is a great addition to the Simple Garliky Greens recipe in this week’s newsletter. Serve the sauce with the greens or mix the greens with a cooked grain (rice, quinoa, wheat berries, etc) and top it off with the Spicy Peanut Sauce.

4 to 6 servings
1 Tbsp olive oil or other healthy vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, top and bottom parts, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 fresh hot chili pepper, seeded and minced or a pinch of dried red pepper flakes
½ cup natural-style chunky peanut butter or cashew butter
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp granulated sugar

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and the bulb part of the scallions. Sauté over medium-low heat until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the tomatoes, chili pepper, and the green top parts of the scallion. Cover and cook just until the tomatoes have softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, and sugar. Once the peanut butter starts to soften from the heat, stir to combine with the tomato mixture and add a small amount of water, just enough to make this a medium-thick sauce. Stir into nearly done greens.